


All along I was pining for you

by estei



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 16:07:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6015835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/estei/pseuds/estei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raleigh is a wilderness photographer who has just returned from a five week assignment. </p><p>He is not impressed by the welcome he receives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All along I was pining for you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GutterBall](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GutterBall/gifts).



> For GutterBall, who has been under the weather this weekend! 
> 
> I wrote this in snippets on Tumblr, so it starts out as Raleigh's POV and then shifts to Chuck's. Hopefully this isn't too annoying. Inspired by these photos: http://darlenealderson.co.vu/post/68866331219

Raleigh was not pouting.

 

He wanted that understood, upfront. Pouting was something a toddler did when denied his favourite toy, and was not an accurate descriptor for a harassed twenty-eight year old. He was annoyed, and very justifiably so. After spending five weeks, over  _a whole month_ , on a shoot in the wilderness he had expected a very different greeting from his fiancé and brother when he’d walked in the door half an hour ago.

 

Well, actually, scratch that. The brother part was wholly unexpected – Chuck and Yancy didn’t always get along, and when he’d flown out at the end of January he hadn’t expected that they would hang out at all in his absence. He’d been pleased when Chuck had casually mentioned watching a game or two with Yancy over beer and pizza, but this? This was more than casual hang outs. This was _collusion_.

 

Regardless. He’d expected to at least score some over the clothes action with Chuck when he made it home, based on some suggestive texts the little bastard had sent during his layover in Vancouver, so Yancy’s presence immediately put a damper on that. But Raleigh was adaptive, hell, he couldn’t do his job without being able to change things up at a moment’s notice, so he was fully on board with a little family reunion. He’d missed both of them, freezing his ass off while photographing the astounding majesty of Mount Denali and the surrounding park. He never should have mentioned being from Alaska to the features editor, who seemed to think this made Raleigh the first choice for any assignment involving snow and sub-zero temperatures.   

 

He’d missed their apartment with its white, open space and green plants, and even Chuck’s sneakers in the middle of the parquet floor where he was sure to trip over, and it was such a relief to walk through the door and see his two favourite people and finally feel _home_.

 

So, yeah. He was pissed. He didn’t need a ticker-tape parade, or a welcome home banner, but something a bit more than a slap on the shoulder and a _What the hell is that on your face?_  would have gone a long way.

 

Yes, the beard was new, but it was also awesome, and the facial hair reveal felt like it should have been secondary to the larger OH HEY I’M HOME point. Not only that, but it seemed that during his absence Yancy and Chuck had been bonding solely over how much they loved to tease Raleigh, and it had been nothing but jabs about Grizzly Adams for the past half hour. Frankly, Raleigh was beginning to consider going back to Alaska. It wasn’t so bad. Sure it was cold, and there was, in Raleigh’s opinion, an unnecessary amount of bears, but no one had talked shit about his beard. In fact, he’d received many compliments from the locals on his well-groomed facial hair. It had only taken one brief encounter with a very smelly trapper to demonstrate to Raleigh the importance of beard maintenance, and even though days had gone by with only his ranger friends and not-so-distant wolf howls for company, he’d been diligent in his trimming and combing.   

 

Now, in addition to the insult of such blatant beard disrespect, no one was even asking about his flight! No inquiries at all about the hellish layovers, and rude TSA agents, and the seat screw up that put a tiny old lady with the bladder the size of a thimble in the window seat beside him for the last six hour stretch. He had endured real misery to get back to these assholes, and if they didn’t stop jawing about his fucking beard he would… well.

 

He’d be a little hurt.

 

Ah, hell. Maybe he was pouting, a little bit.

 

“Alright, smartasses, I don’t have to take this shit,” Raleigh tried to keep his tone light as he slapped his palms down on his thighs and stood up from the stool at the breakfast bar. “I’m exhausted, and it sounds like you’re about to run out of material anyway.”

 

“You’re not racking out, are you?” Chuck asked. “You know it’ll only fuck with your schedule more if you go to bed in the middle of the day.”

 

Ugh, he was right, but Raleigh didn’t much care for reason at the moment. He was tired, and maybe a nap would make him feel less… raw. He knew that Yancy and Chuck coped by being snarky, and he knew they’d missed him, but despite knowing, and believing those things, if he didn’t excuse himself now there was a very real chance he was going to lose his temper.

 

“I don’t care. I have been traveling for the last twenty-four hours, and I’m tired.” Raleigh said, and there was nothing light about his tone this time. He could feel Yancy’s gaze sharpen on him, and Chuck sat back, just the hint of retreat to the movement, and this is exactly what Raleigh had been trying to avoid. “I’m just… tired, okay?” He softened his voice, tried to force some of the tension of out his shoulders, and mostly avoided making eye contact.

 

“Alright, Ray,” Chuck said, subdued. Yancy huffed as he unfolded from his sprawl on the recliner and Raleigh watched, a little wary, as his brother crossed the room toward him, feeling a bit like a little kid being put to bed after too much excitement.

 

“Glad you’re home, kiddo,” Yancy murmured, pulling Raleigh into a tight hug. Raleigh went easily, sagging a bit against his brother’s broad chest and closing his eyes for just a second. <i>”Why couldn’t you have been this nice when I walked in?</i>, he wanted to ask, but that wasn’t their way.

 

“Shut the fuck up about my beard,” he mumbled, giving Yancy one last squeeze before pulling away.  He spared a glance over his shoulder for Chuck, who was hovering just behind Yancy and looking a little bereft. It was almost enough to halt his retreat, to make him reconsider, but then he remembered the welcome he’d been getting thus far, and decided that Chuck could stand to grovel a bit.

 

There had better be groveling. 

 

* * *

 

 

Chuck winced when the bedroom door shut, almost but not quite with a slam, and met Yancy’s gaze with a half-hearted shrug.

 

“I’ll make it up to him,” he said, feeling a little uncertain, and a lot awkward. Historically, he and Yancy had not exactly gotten on so well, and he was a little concerned that this hiccup might be enough to resume tensions. After all, the whole issue had been Yancy’s protective streak, and concern that Chuck wasn’t going to treat Raleigh in the manner in which Yancy believed proper. A few months ago, this exact scenario, Raleigh all but storming out of the room in a strop, would certainly have resulted in an exchange of strong words, if not blows.

 

“Yeah, me too,” Yancy said ruefully. “I guess we got a little carried away,” he added, reaching up to scrub at the back of his neck. “I’ll, uh, let you handle it, but let him know I’ll be around tomorrow, yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” Chuck nodded, expression serious, though internally he was totally gobsmacked. Yancy had thawed considerably since Chuck had proposed, but he hadn't realized how much they'd bonded over the past five weeks until this moment. It felt as though Chuck had passed some final test, and as he walked Yancy out the door he wished he could actually appreciate clearing this hurdle. Instead, he felt like he might have gotten in one brother's good graces by losing the other's, and it wasn't Yancy that he planned to marry. So he braced himself, and headed to the bedroom. 

 

The blinds were closed, but even the cloudy February sky provided enough sunlight to see the tension in the curve of those broad shoulders. Sock feet quiet on the plush carpet, Chuck crossed the room to bed where Raleigh lay, curled up with his back to the door. He hesitated at the edge, toed at the pile of clothes Raleigh had left bundled on the floor, and after a brief moment of hesitation, slipped out of his jeans and crawled under the duvet in his boxer briefs and t-shirt.  Raleigh was obviously still awake, and he didn’t say anything, but he did hunch in a little more, the length of his spine arching as he drew his knees closer and let his arm fold over onto the mattress.

 

Chuck winced, and his chest constricted with the same clutching cold he felt every time he fucked something up with Raleigh, every time he saw hurt in the bloke, hurt that he’d put there. Every time, he swore it wouldn’t happen again. And almost always, it was the same old chestnut. How did Mako put it? Chuck was always trying to pretend he didn’t have emotions, despite it being obvious to everyone around him that in fact he had an excess of them.

 

Raleigh’s trip had definitely caused an excess of emotions. His absence had been nothing short of torture, the bed too cold and big without his warm bulk, the kitchen too quiet without his voice, crooning softly along with the radio in the evenings while he did the washing up, the couch too uncomfortable without the slope of those shoulders to snuggle into.

 

The reception at the park had been too poor for video calls, and Chuck would never admit this to anyone, not to Raleigh, not to his father, not even to Max, but he’d take out a photo of the bloke to look at every time they spoke on the phone, just to see that smile.

 

The homecoming Raleigh had received had not been the one Chuck had intended to give, that’s for damn sure, but as soon as he’d clapped eyes on his fiancé… well, he’d started to tear up, and he’d panicked, not wanting Yancy of all people to see him bawl like some dumb kid.

 

He should have put aside his insecurity, and bloody jumped on the bloke like he’d wanted. Chuck wasn’t sure if his touch was welcome now, but unless Raleigh said no… he couldn’t hold back anymore. Shuffling across the mattress, he pressed in tight, curving his body around Raleigh’s and wrapping his arm around that firm waist. Chuck pressed his nose into the soft, blonde hair of his nape, and inhaled deeply, not caring in the least about the prickly feeling in his eyes when the body in his arms started to unwind, and sink back into his touch.

 

“I missed you so much,” he said softly, voice faltering a little at the end. He pressed firm kisses to the bloke’s hair, neck, the hollow behind his ear.

 

“Hard to tell,” Raleigh grumbled, though he turned into Chuck’s embrace, enough that Chuck could see the reproach in those blue eyes through the fringe of long lashes.

 

Chuck reached out and stroked the pads of his fingertips along the curve of Raleigh’s bristled jaw. “I’m sorry,” he said. Raleigh just stared at him for a long moment, and Chuck had to fight the urge to look away, to put some distance between him and that piercing gaze. Sometimes, when Raleigh looked at him this way, he felt that the other man could take his measure completely, see past all his defenses and straight into all the thoughts and fears and vulnerabilities that he worked so hard to hide.

 

“Did something happen, while I was gone?” Raleigh paused, obviously considering his next words. “You’re acting weird.”

 

“Weird, how? I only just apologized,” Chuck huffed, a little stung. Sure, he might not often say the words directly, but he wasn’t a thoughtless ogre – he made reparations through gestures, all the time. Raleigh’s brow furrowed, and he made to pull back a little, but that was more distance than Chuck was willing to cede, now that the bloke was finally home, and maybe he was being a little… uncharacteristic this afternoon. “Nothing happened,” he murmured. “Nothing except you being away.”

 

“I missed you, too,” Raleigh said, tilting his face up toward Chuck’s, and it was all the invitation he needed. Chuck leaned down, pressing his forehead to Raleigh’s, and just reveled in the puff of warm breath on his cheek before nuzzling close for a kiss.

 

Raleigh’s breath sighed out of him, and as they exchanged soft, closed-mouth kisses he shifted until he was lying on his back amidst the pillows, with Chuck leaning over him. Chuck stroked his fingers through Raleigh’s hair and settled his palm to cup the back of his head, keeping him close as he nuzzled, kissed, and shared breath with the frustrating bloke he’d missed so much. He shivered when he felt Raleigh’s big hands slide up under his t-shirt, stroking up and down the length of his spine, until Chuck felt like there was an electric current crackling under his skin.

 

He needed to be closer, needed to feel that warm, soft skin against his, and Chuck slid a knee between Raleigh’s legs, nudging them apart until there was room for him to settle firmly against that strong chest. The kisses deepened, and Chuck swept his tongue into Raleigh’s mouth, desperate to reacquaint himself with every inch of that precious body, his hands almost rough as he yanked the bloke’s t-shirt up to his armpits. He wanted everything, wanted to trail his mouth across those toned abs and taste every inch of skin, wanted to thrust into that tight heat, but he was already throbbing with need, grinding helplessly into Raleigh, and he could tell neither of them would last long enough for anything fancy.

 

“Chuck, Chuck,” Raleigh chanted as he strained beneath Chuck’s weight, his thighs hugging Chuck’s hips. Chuck pulled back just enough to be able to reach between their heaving bellies, shoving at their briefs until his fingers closed around the heat of Raleigh’s cock, his own erection bumping against his knuckles as he gave Raleigh a few firm pumps.

 

“Christ, love,” Chuck said as Raleigh threw his head back on a moan, back arched and fingers tight in Chuck’s hair. He released Raleigh briefly, just long enough to lap at his palm until it was sufficiently damp, and then lined up so he could grip their cocks together, panting as he worked a long, tight stroke. Chuck could already feel pressure building, and he pressed messy, wet kisses to Raleigh’s swollen lips as they rocked together, gasping and moaning and nipping at each other, and it wasn’t long before release swept through them.

 

Chuck wiped his hand on the material of his briefs, bunched around his thighs, and rolled to his side, pulling Raleigh with him so that their chests were touching and legs twined together, pressed close as their breathing began to slow again.

 

“I really did miss you,” Chuck said, leaning in to press a kiss to Raleigh’s temple. Raleigh’s lashes fluttered, but his eyes didn’t open as he smiled, soft and content. He hummed as he nestled in to the crook of Chuck’s neck, the silk of his hair tickling his chin and the bristles of his beard tickling his throat. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, and Chuck felt something stir in his belly at the thought of those bristles against the inside of his thighs…

 

“Okay,” Raleigh murmured, sleepy and muffled. “And,” he paused to yawn, and Chuck was a little disgusted with himself when he found it absurdly cute, “I’m keeping the beard.”

 

“I think I can live that,” Chuck laughed, reaching down to tug the blankets up around their shoulders. He wasn’t tired, not like Raleigh, but he was warm, and comfortable, and nowhere near ready to let go of the precious body in his arms.

 

Besides, a little nap before round two couldn’t hurt.  


End file.
